Tires and Dings
by cncgrad02
Summary: Poor Vanessa! A flat tire and a scratch to the paint job of her car. How will she tell Zac? Cute, fluffy three shot, inspired by the pictures recently seen.
1. To Tell the Truth

_I couldn't resist this! Just a fun little one-shot. I know everyone wanted another chapter from Proposal Plans, and don't worry. It's coming soon! That story's actually done. I just had to get this one out there! Hope you enjoy it! PS... I don't own anything from this story! _

**Tires and Dings**

It was a beautiful, sunny, typical Wednesday in Los Angeles. Vanessa Hudgens woke that morning to the sun fighting its way through the cracks of the closed blinds and the alarm blaring on the bedside table. On a typical morning, she would let out a groan as she reaches over to hit the snooze button and roll back over to begin the chore of waking her boyfriend of almost five years. The task is one that she has performed almost every morning for close to two of those five years, and was one that she could do in her sleep. It began with gently running her fingers through his hair, which didn't take as long as it used to since he recently cut it the shortest he's ever had it in the time that the young Hollywood actors have known each other. She then would lean over and place a soft kiss to his temple, which was followed up by a whispered "Wake up, Sleepyhead", a phrase for which she usually received a grunt in response. She would then get up to go use the restroom and wash her face, before returning to the bedroom. It would be normal for Vanessa to find Zac laying on his left side, clutching onto her pillow for dear life. It would also be normal for her to then lean down to his ear and try the whispered phrase once more. This morning, however, was slightly different.

When the alarm went off at 7:00, it was Zac who leaned over his dark haired lover to hit the snooze button, only to wrap his arms around her and spoon against her once again, pressing a soft kiss to her exposed shoulder in the process, waiting for the next nine minutes to pass before the alarm sounded a second time. Vanessa let out a soft moan as she snuggled into her boyfriend's arms again.

"I like moments like these," she murmured, as she began to run her hands up and down his arms.

"Shhh," he softly told her. "No talking, more sleeping." She gave out a soft giggle while leaning down to place a kiss to his arms.

A few minutes later when the alarm blared the annoying tone once again, Vanessa noted that Zac had indeed fallen back asleep. She also noted that he was not making any moves to turn it off this time. With a sigh, she leaned over to turn it off herself and thus began the normal morning routine of waking up her boyfriend. This time, when she returned from the bathroom and whispered the normal phrase for the second time, she actually received a response.

"Wake up, Sleepyhead," Vanessa whispered, as she leaned down to press a kiss to the shell of his ear. She then shrieked in surprise as she felt herself being tossed onto her back and looked up to see the blue eyes of her lover looking back down at her, with his arms on either side of her, holding her down on the mattress. "As much as I love Playful Zac, we unfortunately don't have time to be playful. You have a meeting with Jason at 9:00, meaning you need to leave by 8:15. It's now 7:16 and you really need to get up and get ready." She reached up and gently brushed her hand through his hair as she spoke.

"I hate breakfast meetings," Zac grumbled, as he fell onto his back beside Vanessa.

"You're the one who set it up," she pointed out as she rolled over onto her stomach and placed her elbows on the mattress and rested her chin in her hands. "If you don't like breakfast meetings, then why did you set this one up for this time frame?" she asked.

He turned his head just to the right, giving her a slight glare, which caused her to raise her eyebrows in an 'I told you so' fashion in return.

"Thank you, Ms. Sensitivity, for pointing out that I called Jason's office too late and this was the only time available for this week. I appreciate that you're rubbing in the fact that I have somewhere to be at a certain time while you can just go back to sleep if you wanted."

She softly giggled once again in the ten minutes that they'd been awake while she watched him stand up and make his way over to the dresser to grab a pair of his boxer briefs and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him in the process.

"I love you!" she called behind him. His response to her was to simply turn on the water to the shower. She rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips and decided to stand up and make her way downstairs to make the coffee and find some form of breakfast for herself.

* * *

When Zac got out of the shower and was dressed, ready for his day to begin, he sneaked a peek at the clock, noticing that he only had twelve minutes left before he had to leave to make the drive to the restaurant where he was meeting Jason for breakfast and a business meeting. He made his way downstairs and spotted Vanessa sitting at the bar with a pad and pen. She was still wearing her camisole top and the pair of his flannel pants that she wore to bed with her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She appeared to be writing something. He paused as he watched her lift the red pen to her mouth, chewing on the tip as she thought about something, then brought the pen down and wrote on the paper again. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when he spoke up.

"What are you doing?"

She turned in the bar stool she was sitting in and looked at him, bringing a hand to her chest. "Geez, Zac, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry," he said with a chuckle as he approached her, placing his hands on her arms and placed a kiss on her right shoulder before running his hands up the sides of her arms to wrap around her shoulders. She set the pen down and reached up to connect their hands, placing a kiss on one of his.

"I'm making a grocery list. I thought we'd make dinner tonight before the game. Is there anything in particular you want?"

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I thought I'd go to Bristol Farms. They have a bigger selection of all the gourmet, organic stuff that you like," she told him, casting a glance at him over her shoulder.

"Yeah, there are a few things that I want."

"Here, write them down real quick." She passed him the pen and pad of paper that she was writing on earlier as she stood up to fix a bowl of cereal and cup of coffee.

He wrote the few items that he wanted Vanessa to pick up and walked up behind her again, wrapping his arms around her middle. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek and she turned her face to his, giving him a soft kiss to the lips.

"You need to go," she told him.

"Yeah, I do," he responded, as he lifted his left arm to check the watch he was wearing.

She leaned up and gave him another kiss, this one longer than the last.

"I'll see you later," she told him as she pulled away.

"Okay. I love you," he said, giving her one last kiss as he pulled away from Vanessa and began walking toward the garage.

"I love you, too," she called after him. When she heard his car pull out of the garage and the door close again, she returned to her grocery list. Once her task was complete, she made her way upstairs to climb in the shower and get herself ready for the day.

* * *

As Vanessa completed her grocery shopping at Bristol Farms grocery store and was standing in line waiting to check out, she spotted the latest issue of _Vanity __Fair_ on a nearby magazine rack. With a shy smile, she let her mind wander back in time six years, to the day of the _High School Musical_ auditions. The day that changed her life forever. The day that she met Zac. Getting lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice when the person in front of her left and it was her turn to pay. The person behind her captured her attention, startling her in the process.

"Excuse me, Miss Hudgens?" the stranger asked. It didn't surprise Vanessa that, in this town, the gentleman knew her name. "I'm sorry to startle you, but-". He stopped speaking, waving his hand in front of her to show that it was her turn.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized.

"No, it's okay. You were lost in your thoughts. I get that way, too, sometimes. Don't apologize."

"Thank you," she told him with a smile, as she began unloading her groceries from the buggy and placing them on the conveyor belt. As the clerk began the task of ringing up her items, Vanessa and the gentleman behind her struck up a conversation easily. As she paid and turned to follow the bagger, who's nametag read "Brandon" as he pushed her cart to the parking lot, she pulled out her phone to attempt to call Zac, not knowing if his meeting was over yet or not. As she and Brandon approached her black Audi convertible, the young bagger stopped, causing an oblivious Vanessa, who was studying her phone, to accidentally bump into him.

"I'm so sorry!" she said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Miss Hudgens, did you know that you have a flat tire?"

"What?" she asked. Looking at the tire Brandon was pointing at, she let out a slight gasp. As she started walking around the front of the car, she noticed a scratch in the paint job that was about two and a half inches long. "No! Oh, man! What will he say about this one?"

It was a hot topic with her and Zac. After the first scratch job to her Audi awhile back, whenever she told him about something going on with one of her cars, he would just give her a look, as if he were blaming her for whatever had happened. She didn't see how she could possibly be to blame for everything that happened, and made the mistake of telling him so once. The simple comment led to a tiny argument between the two about her inability to- as he put it- to properly take care of cars and, even though it was no big deal in the long run, she still hesitated when it came to telling him about any sort of car trouble she had.

"Oh, man," she said again. Once Brandon was finished loading the bags into the backseat, he turned to face her.

"Miss Hudgens, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Brandon. I will be. Thank you for your help," she told him, as she reached into her wallet and pulled out some cash to offer him. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Miss Hudgens. I'm just inside if you need any help," he said before walking back inside.

With a sigh, she dialed the number for the AAA insurance company and was quickly reassured that someone would be there shortly. With another sigh, she prepared to hit speed dial one on her phone.

"I can't put this off forever. I better call him so he's not waiting at home wondering where I am." As she pushed send, she held her breath, not sure if she really wanted him to answer or not.

"_Hey, you reached Zac…"_ Letting out the breath that she didn't even realize she was holding, she listened to the rest of his voice mail message before leaving him a message.

"Hey, Baby, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I got a little tied up. Everything's fine, don't worry. It'll be maybe another half hour or so before I'm able to leave, but I'll give you a call when I'm on my way. I love you and I'll see you soon!"

She hung up just as the AAA employee showed up. When the mechanic approached her, holding out his hand, she noticed the name Ted embroidered on his shirt. She took his offered hand and greeted him.

"Hi, Ted. I'm Vanessa."

"Yes, ma'am. I know you and all three _High School Musical_s very well. My thirteen year old makes sure of it."

"Well, given that fact, this is a little bit more embarrassing than it started out being. Please ignore the photographers on the other side of the parking lot. It's me they want, not you," she joked.

"Don't worry about a thing. You're not the first celebrity I've helped out."

"Well, that makes this just a little bit easier to handle, I suppose."

The two fell into a comfortable conversation while Ted worked to put the donut tire on Vanessa's Audi. Once the task was complete, he informed Vanessa of a few instructions.

"Now, Miss Hudgens, make sure you take your tire as soon as possible to be repaired. It's possible that you may need to buy a new tire, but they can tell you that when you take it in."

"Thank you, Ted. I appreciate all of your help," she told him, shaking his hand once again. As she climbed into the convertible, she reached for her phone to call Zac once again. This time, he answered.

"_Van, is everything okay?" _he asked upon answering.

"Hello, it's so good to talk to you, too. I've missed you today. I can't wait to see you," she told him sarcastically.

"_I'm sorry, Babe. I've just been worried about you ever since I got your message. How are you?"_

"Everything's fine, I'm fine. You don't need to worry. I just wanted to let you know that I'm on my way back."

"_The car's okay?"_

"Why do you always assume that there's something wrong with the car?"

"_Because I know you, Van, and 'got a little tied up' is Vanessa-talk for 'something's wrong with the car and I don't want to tell Zac'."_

"Fine," she said with a sigh. "But can we just wait until I get home and we can talk about it then?"

"_Yeah, we can do that. Be careful on your way home. It was a long, tedious meeting and I'm frustrated."_

_Great, _she thought to herself. _Now he's not going to be in a good mood when I tell him about the scratch._

"Oh, I'm sorry you're meeting didn't go well. I'll be home soon and we can talk about it."

"_Okay, I love you," _he told her.

"I love you, too. Bye."

"_Bye, Babe."_ The two hung up and Vanessa continued the drive to her home, mentally psyching herself up for breaking the news of her damaged car to an already annoyed Zac.

* * *

The first thing she noticed when she walked in the door from the garage into the kitchen were his keys, phone, and the loose change from his pockets haphazardly thrown on the kitchen counter. She had bought a dish to put on the counter and had even "trained" him to put his stuff in said dish, but occasionally, if he wasn't having the best of days, he'd still just drop them wherever they landed. She took note of this, with only one thought in her head.

_Great. Keys on the counter equals an annoyed Zac. Maybe if I joke it up, the news won't seem so bad._

"Zac?" she called out. "I'm home. Where are you?"

"In here," she heard in response. She took a deep breath, setting her own keys in the dish and her phone next it with her purse on one of the bar stools. Making her way toward the den, she spotted Zac on the couch with a game controller in his hand. She sneaked a glance at the screen and saw him engrossed in a game on the Xbox. Turning back to him, he felt her deep brown eyes on him and glanced up at her.

"Hey, Babe. Give me just a minute to get to a good stopping point and I'm all your's."

"That's fine," she said, as she sat down on the couch next to him, watching his movements in the game. Finally after a few minutes, he hit pause and turned to properly greet the love of his life.

"How was your outing?" he asked, after leaning over to give her a kiss.

"I'll tell you about it in a minute. Give me another kiss; I missed you." He obliged to her wish, giving her the kiss that they both have been needing after their equally frustrating days. When they finally pulled apart, she grabbed his hand and stood up, pulling him up with her.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"You," she said, turning to poke a finger in his chest, "are about to teach me how to change a flat tire." She turned back and continued walking through the kitchen in the direction of the garage

Zac came to a stop, forcing Vanessa to do so as well. When she turned to face him, she cringed slightly at the look on his face.

"What do you mean? What are you not telling me about the car?"

"That there's a spare tire on the driver's side front," she almost whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Care to say it again?"

She repeated the sentence, just slightly louder this time, still causing him to strain to make out what she's saying.

"Vanessa-" he began in a warning tone.

_Crap. The full name._ She took a deep breath before repeating herself once more.

"There's a spare tire on the front of the driver's side. There, happy? I messed up yet another car," she admitted, suddenly finding interest in the patterns sketched in the tile on the floor, tracing the one in front of her with her foot. She sneaked a glance up at her boyfriend's brilliant blue eyes only to see him standing with his arms crossed across his chest and looking at her face as if he were studying it for signs of more.

"Is that it?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Is that all that happened to the car?"

"Yeah, why?" she said softly, hoping the shaking in her voice didn't give away her slight fib.

"Van, you wouldn't be this antsy to tell me about flat tire. Flat tires happen to everyone. There's nothing to be embarrassed about if it's just a flat tire. What else happened to the car?" he asked.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to tell him about the mysterious scratch. As Zac watched her chewing on her lip- a sign of anxiety for her, and he knew this- he gave out a sigh and took her in his arms, giving her a comforting hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle in response.

"Baby, what ever it is, it's just a car. As long as you're okay. That's all that matters to me."

She pulled back from the hug and took his hand and started leading him once again to the door of the garage, opening it slowly. She stepped aside, finally revealing the driver's side door to him. She stood in the corner, chewing on her thumbnail as she watched him examining the scratch. He walked closer to the door, and she kept watching silently as he fingered the scratch. Finally, letting out a sigh, he turned to look at her and signaled for her to come closer. She approached him slowly and looked him in the eyes. He took both of her hands in his and gave a slight smirk.

"I'm buying you a Hummer."

"What? Why?" she asked, baffled.

"Because those things are tanks! They can be flipped and still walk away without a scratch. That's exactly what you need," he joked, laughing, and ducked her playful slap to his chest. He pulled her into another hug and placed a kiss to the top of her head before continuing.

"It's fine, Babe! It's just a scratch. We'll talk about how it got there later. Now, about this flat tire…"


	2. Lovers' Spat

_Well, many of you asked for me to expand this little diddy and I spent a few days thinking about how I could make it work. After tossing around a few ideas and having a friend of mine tell me that yes, it could potentially work after all (Thanks, Friend!), here's what the result is. I have one more chapter up my sleeve and that should be it after this one. Anyway, I hope yall enjoy! Give me a few days and the rest will follow. _

**Tires and Dings Chapter 2**

By the following week, Vanessa's Audi had been taken into the shop to have the scratch repaired and four new tires put on. Zac also decided to have the repair shop check the brakes, just to be on the safe side. While it was unavailable, she had no choice but to drive her Lexus 400 Hybrid SUV. Not that she minded. It was, after all, the car that she picked out and bought all by herself. The only help she had when the Lexus was bought was having her mom drive her to the dealership to pick it up when they called to inform her that her special ordered vehicle had arrived- directly from the factory- and was ready for pickup.

While she and Zac were snuggling on the couch one night watching _The Bachelor_- a show which Zac watched with Vanessa only because he was whipped and he knew it-, the local news cut in with a teaser for the 11:00 broadcast.

"_The latest in the recent Toyota recalls… Could Lexus find itself in danger as well?" _

"What?!" Vanessa exclaimed. "No! Not me! Please God, no!" She turned her head and buried her face in Zac's chest, as if not looking at the screen would make it that much more untrue. It was then that she felt his chest vibrating. She pulled her head off his chest to look at his face and saw him fighting a smile and his face turning red from trying to suppress the laughter. He knew that at times such as the present laughing at his long time girlfriend was not the best of ideas. She simply glared at him as he continued to struggle against the laughter.

"Are you trying not to laugh at me?" she asked.

He simple shook his head, before changing his mind and nodding it instead.

"Why?" she asked again, trying hard to remain patient with him.

"Because you're so cute when you get frustrated at cars!" he said, finally losing the war with his laughter.

"Baby! First my Audi breaks down-"

"It didn't break down," he interrupted to point out.

"Whatever," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "It's in the shop, that's the same thing in my mind. Anyway, first my Audi is in the shop and now my Lexus may be recalled! It's the furthest thing from being funny!" she told him as she turned her back on him.

"I know, Baby, but we don't even know anything until we watch the news and find out what they have to say. Just try and calm down until then, okay?" He reached his hands up to rub her shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had slowly built up in the past ten minutes. "You always get so stressed when it comes to cars. I don't understand it."

"Because I don't know cars like you do! It's very stressful for me when something goes wrong with my cars!" she exclaimed.

"Baby, calm down. Let's just wait and see what the news tells us before we decide what we're going to do about the Lexus," he told her gently for the second time in less then a minute. "We don't even know what model Lexus they're talking about, okay?"

"You're right, of course. You always are when it comes to cars," she told him with a sigh. "Hey, the show's back on. Now hush." He chuckled softly as he leaned forward to place a small kiss to the spot where her neck met her shoulder as she turned back to face the 52 inch flat screen that he had mounted to the wall last year, anxious to see which girl Jake would send home this week. "I swear, if he keeps that girl this week, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? What will you do this poor guy who you don't even know and more than likely will never meet if he picks some blond dimwit?"

"I don't know. I'll- I'll throw something at the TV and aim for his face. I don't know!"

"Poor Jake," he muttered.

"Shh. Hush, you! I can't hear!" Zac just shook his head in disbelief.

"When is this over?" he asked as she shot him a look. "Okay, fine, I'm quiet." She nodded her approval as she leaned back against his chest, snuggling back into him to get comfortable once again as the show continued.

Two hours later, after watching Jake keep Vienna- once again sending home the wrong girl (even Zac was upset this week)- and talking about the details of their upcoming trip to Sydney where Zac would be taking place in a surfing benefit for charity, they finally noticed that the 11:00 news was starting.

"Hey, it's starting," he pointed out, signaling to the television set. Vanessa and Zac quickly turned their attention to the screen, paying attention to see what the latest recall was really all about.

"_On the heels of the recent string of Toyota recalls, the big name motor company is adding its Lexus to the list. Is your model involved? Our own Lauren Moneyham has the full story," _Debbie Hannigan, the anchor for the local ABC affiliate began, only to be followed by Lauren.

"_Yes, Debbie, it's true. First Toyota, now it's spin off Lexus. What models are affected by the recall this time? I spoke to Dale Smart just today at the Lexus dealership in Toluca Lake. He informed me that the recall this time around is in relation with the most recent Prius hybrid recall. If you remember from last week when we broke the news of the Prius, it is being recalled due to a faulty brake system. Well, the Lexus uses the same brake system as the Prius. Hence the reason for the Lexus recall as well._

_What model Lexus is on the recall list? Well, according to Mr. Smart today, all Lexus sport utility hybrid models- LS, GS, HS, and RX- should be brought in to a Lexus dealership so it can be checked. Lauren Moneyham, WCIS news, channel 9."_

Vanessa slumped her shoulders and sighed. Zac just watched his girlfriend, wondering what her reaction to the news would be.

_Okay, she's being way too quiet, _he thought to himself after about five minutes of silence._ This isn't good._ Just as he opened his mouth to speak and attempt to comfort her, she jumped up off the couch and began her rant while pacing around the living room in front of her boyfriend.

"I can't believe it!" she cried. "Why me, huh? Why do I have all the bad luck with cars? Can I not own a car and it be perfect, nothing wrong? No dents, no flat tires, no scratches, no stupid broken brake whatever? Is that just a bit too much to ask? Why?"

He looked up at her and carefully opened his mouth to speak, as if he were expecting her to interrupt him. When it was clear she would stay silent, he began speaking. "Babe, why don't we just go to bed, not worry about it anymore tonight, sleep it off, and tomorrow we'll take it in and have it looked at? Huh? There's nothing that we can do about it now, so why worry about it? Come on," he held his hand out to her and she crossed back in front of the couch and took his hand in her's and pulled him up. He took her in his arms and held onto her while she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I hate Toyota," she mumbled, with a small pout in her voice.

"No, you don't hate Toyota," he chuckled at her silliness. "You and Toyota are just having a little lovers spat, that's all. You love your Lexus more than me and when we get it fixed and it's safe again, you'll be back in love with Lexus and Toyota," Zac joked, hoping to make his love crack a smile, even if just a small one. When Vanessa looked up at him with her deep brown eyes, he could tell that she was fighting off the giggles and he knew that he succeeded. "There you go. Now come one, let's go to bed."

Vanessa pulled herself out of Zac's arms and made her way around the room, locking the doors and turning off the lights before the two of them made their way up the massive staircase to the spacious room. They began their routine of getting ready for bed and finally climbed under the covers. As Vanessa snuggled into Zac's waiting arms, he finally felt her relax for the first time since the news teaser that caused her to panic earlier in the evening. He leaned down and placed a kiss against her hairline, whispering the one phrase that they promised long ago they wouldn't go to sleep until it was said to each other.

"I love you, Van."

"I love you, too," she responded, as she leaned her head up to give him a kiss on his lips, which he was glad to accept.

"Get some sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Okay," she agreed, feeling him tighten his arms around her as she closed her eyes with a sigh, finally surrendering to the sleep that overtook her body.


	3. Driving Lessons

_Okay, everyone! Here's chapter 3 of a story of which I still don't own anything. Thank you to my dear friend for allowing me to toss around my ideas and helping me out when I come up dry and need help extending certain scenes. This chapter wouldn't be what it is without you and I'm not ashamed to share credit! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope yall enjoy!_

**Tires and Dings Chapter 3**

Two days later, Zac and Vanessa were driving toward the restaurant where they had a lunch meeting. They had an appointment with Zac's manager Jason and a representative for Oakley, the sponsors of the surfing event he was participating in, to discuss the finalization of the Sydney trip details. The trip was being paid for by Oakley and they had a lot of details left to iron out.

Well, at this point in time, it was Zac doing all the driving, and in his car, none the less. Vanessa was still a little bit put out by events that had occurred when she dropped off her beloved Lexus at the dealership. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't the dealership's fault, so she couldn't be upset at them. She was just frustrated at the situation as a whole.

"_We should have you car ready in one to two weeks," the mechanic at the dealership told her._

"_One to two weeks?" Vanessa responded in disbelief. "Why so long?" she asked._

"_Ma'am, we've had hundreds of people bring their cars in to be checked this morning alone. We'll be lucky if we get to your's in a week as it is. And if we do find something, then it'll more than likely take another week to make sure it's all fixed correctly." He was trying hard to be patient with the young actress standing in front of him. There was only one thought running through his mind: Women and cars. Why didn't her famous boyfriend come with her? It's no secret he knows cars._

_Vanessa just let out a sigh of frustration. She was trying so hard to be understanding about all of this. It wasn't the dealership's fault, by no means, that she was now left without a car at all for the next couple of weeks and she was trying hard to not get upset at them. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her._

"_What about a loaner?"_

"_A loner?"_

"_Yes, can I get a loaner?" _

"_I'm afraid not." She gave him a skeptical look not sure she understood why she wouldn't be allowed a loaner while her cars were being worked on. "With the number of cars being brought in due to the recall announcement last night, we unfortunately don't have enough loaners to loan out," he went on to explain apologetically._

_She let out another sigh and admitted defeat. "Okay. Thank you, anyway," she told him before walking away from the desk in the service center. She reached in her purse, digging out her phone._

"_Hey, Babe. What's going on?" the voice on the other end answered._

"_I need you to come get me."_

"_What? Why?" he questioned. Vanessa went on to explain her current dilemma while Zac listened patiently. "Okay," he told her, trying to not laugh. "I'll be there in a few. I'm actually right up the road at Best Buy. Let me pay and I'm on my way." The two lovers then hung up their phones and Vanessa sat in a nearby chair to wait, picking up a month old issue of 'People' to flip through as she waited._

And here she sat, two days later, riding shotgun in Zac's Audi, looking at the scenery that zipped past the window. She let out a soft sigh of frustration as she thought about her current situation.

"What are you thinking over there?" Zac's voice broke through her thoughts as he reached across the center console to grab hold of her hand.

"I was just thinking about my luck."

He chuckled- he seemed to be doing that a lot on her behalf within the past week ever since the flat tire incident- but immediately stopped when he felt her glare fall on his face. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh." He paused as he sneaked a glance at her face. "Who am I kidding? I can't help it!" he said, as he broke into a fit of laughter once again.

"Fine then. That means you won't mind letting me drive one of your cars until one of mine are ready," she said, giving him a pointed look.

"Hell no!" he exclaimed. "Nice try, Babe! Not so much!" he told her with a slight shake of his head.

Vanessa let out a scoff. "Why not? I thought you were willing to do anything for me!"

"Thank you for throwing my words back in my face. I greatly appreciate it."

"Well, that is what you said," she reminded him.

"I know I said that. And now it's time for me to rephrase that statement. Let's see… Oh, yes, now I've got it. What I meant was: I am willing to do absolutely anything for you unless it involves my cars."

"But, Baby, how am I supposed to get around?"

"How are you getting around right now?" he asked her, and she dropped her jaw with a look of disbelief pointed in his direction.

"What's that look for?" he asked her.

"Because I might as well be back in high school with my mom driving me around all over the place!"

After a moment of silence, she gasped as a thought entered her mind, her eyes growing wide. "Zac, did you tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone what?"

"About my situation. You know, no car and whatnot."

"No. No, I didn't tell anybody," he said a little too quickly for her liking.

She wrinkled her eyebrows in his direction with a doubtful look on her face, as her phone began to ring. She blew a raspberry in his direction as she dug her phone out from inside her purse, too distracted to look at the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nessa!" the voice on the other end excitedly called out.

"Hey, Dyl." she answered, speaking to the younger brother of her long time boyfriend.

"What's up?" he asked, a little too loudly, causing Vanessa to pull the phone from her ear a bit.

"You mean other than the fact that you're screaming in my ear?" she asked, as she put the phone on speaker so Zac could speak to his brother at the same time.

"I'm not screaming."

"Dude, even I can hear you," Zac spoke up.

"That's because Ness just put me on speaker, Punk!" Dylan argued back. "What are you two up to today?"

"We're just on our way to a lunch meeting with Jason and the Oakley rep that's taking care of our trip. Ironing out some details and such. What's up with you?"

"Not much. I've gotta work later. Right now I'm just wasting time."

"You're working today? You don't have school?" Vanessa spoke up.

"Teacher work day," Dylan responded, answering her question. "I heard about the car stuff. What's that all about?"

"I thought you said you didn't tell anyone!" she accused Zac.

"Dude, I told you not to say anything!" he yelled back at Dylan.

"Like I ever listen to you!" Dylan shot back at his older brother. "So, Ness, how's the public transportation there in LA?" he joked, picking on his brother's girlfriend who had become like an older sister to him through the years.

"Do you want to take this one, Babe?" Vanessa asked Zac, giving a grim, tight lipped smile when she noticed the sheepish look on his face. "I'll take that as a no." She then turned her attention back to the younger Efron on the other end of the phone. "I don't know about the buses, but the Audi convertibles are pretty nice." She and Dylan shared a chuckle as Zac rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Dyl, I just got an idea!" Vanessa exclaimed suddenly. "Do your parents still have Zac's old Alero that he had before buying the Audi?" She was referring to the old 1999 Oldsmobile Alero that Zac drove while in high school and up until the group wrapped on the first _High School Musical _when he broke down and bought a brand new Audi, the one that they were currently riding in.

"Yeah, why?"

"Never mind, bro. I know where she's going with this and the answer's no."

"What? Why?" she asked, looking at Zac with a slight pout on her face.

"Dylan, whatever she asks you about borrowing a car- ever-, the answer will always be no. Remember that. Don't ever let her."

"Um, yeah, see, I don't think I'm gonna get in the middle of that one. Ness, if you want to borrow the car, I'm gonna play it safe and say that you should talk to Mom and Dad. I've encountered the wrath of Zac many, many, many, many, many-"

"Dude, I think she gets it. Just say a lot and move on, okay?" Zac interrupted his younger brother, who was sometimes annoying to him, but comical to Vanessa, who was currently sitting beside him with a grin on her face listening to the Efron brothers bicker back and forth. No matter how many times she heard it, it would always make her smile. Even on her worst days, such as this one.

"- many times and I really don't want to be in that position again, if I can help it. So therefore, once again, I say talk to Mom and Dad. You know you've got Dad wrapped around your finger and he'd do anything for you."

Vanessa opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by Zac. "Unless it involved cars," Zac threw in, giving her a look.

"Why will you not let me borrow a car?" she asked for the second time in about ten minutes.

"Because you-"

"Hey, Ness?" Dylan interrupted.

"Yeah, Dyl?"

"If the buses aren't that comfy, why not walk? I hear it's good exercise."

"Dylan Nicholas-" she began.

"Hey, Dyl, we need to go man. We're here," Zac interrupted Vanessa, rescuing his brother from her verbal attack that he knew was about to come. The use of the middle name from her usually meant trouble and he was all to aware of that fact and as much as his brother bugged him, he wasn't about to subject him to said trouble if he could help it.

"Alright, man. I'll talk to you two later. Hey, and let me know when the coast is clear in paradise and you guys aren't having your little thing anymore and I'll come visit for a weekend. Bye, Ness," Dylan called out.

"Bye, Dylan," she responded, waiting until he hung up before she did. Zac parked the car and got out, coming around to her side and holding his hand out to help her out of the car and shut the door behind her. He leaned down to give her a quick kiss, letting her know that their banter from a few moments before was nothing serious, merely joking. She returned the kiss, letting him know that she was okay with his picking. He then led her through the parking lot to the door of the restaurant, keeping a hand on the small of her back the whole time.

After a productive meeting and an enjoyable meal, the couple left and returned to Vanessa's house. They talked about the trip and were excited about all they would be doing while in Sydney. Vanessa was a little bummed that their flight was taking place on Valentine's Day, but Zac quickly assured her that they would still celebrate with a quiet dinner, just a couple of days prior to their departure.

"Okay, so explain it to me again, please," she begged him as they walked through the door of her home.

"Explain what?" he asked.

"Why can I not borrow one of your cars to get around until one of mine is fixed?"

"Because," he stated, as if it were the most obvious answer in the book. Vanessa, not buying that answer, just stared at him with raised eyebrows, waiting on him to continue. He let out a sigh of semi annoyance. "Baby, you don't have it."

"Don't have what?" she asked, clearly confused.

"It. Car karma."

"Car karma?" she asked, skepticism laced in her voice.

"Yeah." When he saw that she wasn't buying it, he continued. "Babe, everyone has car karma, but not everyone had good car karma. You fall in that category. You don't have good car karma."

"So you're saying I have _bad_ car karma?"

"This isn't how I wanted you to hear the news, but yes, Baby, I'm afraid so," he told her jokingly. When he saw she didn't see the humor, he continued. "Baby, I'm not saying it's not your fault necessarily, but every car that you get behind the wheel of, something goes wrong with it. Your Audi- this is the second time there's been a scratch and it's been in the shop. Your Lexus- even though this isn't your fault, it's still a car you've driven and is in the shop."

"But I used to drive Mom's Camry and that one-"

"-had a shopping cart run into it in a parking lot at a grocery store just before I bought you the Audi, or did you forget about that one?" When he noticed her pout, he crossed the room to place his hands on her waist. "Baby, face it. You just don't have good car karma."

"I don't deserve to drive at all. Take my cars away from me," she told him, causing him to let out a soft chuckle. "I'm serious! I have bad car karma!"

"But you're so cute with your bad car karma. I love you and your bad car karma. But no matter what you say or do to me, you will never be driving one of my cars," he said, ducking as she tried to smack him in the chest.

"Fine. I guess you just have to be my chauffeur until one of my cars are fixed. And believe me, I'm going to take full advantage of it."

"I'm fine with that. I'll drive you anywhere you want to go, anytime you want to go there," he said.

"Anytime? Anywhere?" she asked, getting an idea. She took that opportunity to run her hands up the front of his chest and around his neck, her way of distracting him.

"Anytime," he told her kissing her neck. "Anywhere," he said, placing a kiss to her jaw line this time.

"Then let's go." She took his hand and led him out to the garage.

"Where are we going?"

"You're my chauffeur. I told you, I'm taking advantage of it. Get in," she told him, getting in the passenger seat once again

"I like it when you're in charge," he said, as he climbed in behind the wheel. "Now, where am I taking you?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll direct you," she told him. He couldn't help but notice the glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

"Okay, all of a sudden I'm nervous."

"Don't be, Baby. You'll be fine," she told him with a smile and a pat on his right thigh.

"Uh-huh."

The rest of the twenty minute ride consisted of Vanessa acting as Zac's Garmin, giving him the directions of left and right whenever necessary. Before long, she was telling him to pull into a parking lot and the two climbed out of the car once he had parked. She climbed out excitedly and waited for him at the back of the car, grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of La Belladonna salon.

"Van, Baby, why are we here?"

"I want a mani- pedi. I haven't had one in a while."

"Okay, but why am _I _here?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" He just slumped his shoulders and gave her a look of defeat in response. "That's what I thought. Now come on."

When the couple walked inside the small, cozy boutique they were instantly greeted by Amanda, Vanessa's favorite hairstylist and manicurist.

"Vanessa! How are you? It's been awhile."

"Hey, Amanda! I know, I've been crazy busy. I'm sorry. Can you fit me in?"

"You mean you drug me here and you didn't even have an appointment?" Zac asked in disbelief.

"If you had let me drive your car, you wouldn't be here. Now hush, you," she lovingly told him.

Amanda smiled at the banter the two were throwing back and forth. "Of course I can fit you in. What can I do for you today?"

"A mani- pedi, please. I'm in desperate need of some relaxation," she told Amanda, throwing a pointed look at Zac.

"Absolutely. Have a seat and let me get everything together." Amanda walked to the back to gather all the materials that she would need and Vanessa sat in one of the massage chairs that sat along the wall, slipping her feet in the small tub as it filled with warm water.

"Hey, Babe? Why don't you have a seat? I may be awhile," she told him. He just shot her a look as he sat down and noticed she was biting back a smile.

"Yeah, hey, while you're at it, have fun on my behalf, okay?" he told her.

"Don't worry, I will!" she said, blowing him a kiss. He just rolled his eyes and picked up a magazine that was sitting on the table next to him. Amanda returned from the back and set to work on his girlfriend's feet. When she was done and the two moved to the manicure table, he heard Vanessa say the words he had been dreading.

"Hey, Amanda, do you think you could maybe give me a trim, too? Not much, just a couple of inches or so."

Amanda cast a look at Zac and lowered her voice. "He won't mind waiting?"

"Oh, no, he won't mind waiting at all. He's being punished," she told Amanda in her normal voice, sneaking a glance at her boyfriend who had lowered the magazine he had been looking at to look at her in return. "I love you, Baby!" she called out to him. His response was to merely lift the magazine back in its original position, hiding his face.

"Need I ask?" Amanda asked. Vanessa just shook her head.

"Inside joke," she told her stylist, while the two shared a giggle on his behalf.

About thirty- five minutes later, Vanessa was done and had paid for her afternoon of pampering. The first ten minutes of the ride home was filled with Vanessa's excited chatter and Zac's silence, except for his one word answers to her questions.

"Are you upset at me?" she asked him, her voice immediately taking on a serious tone.

"Let's just say payback's a bitch," he told her, causing Vanessa to suddenly get nervous about what lay ahead.

"I'm sorry, Baby. I love you," she told him.

"I know," was all he said in response. The rest of the ride was filled with silence.

When they got home, Zac was standing at the foot of the stairs and curled his finger at Vanessa, telling her to come closer. As she slowly approached him, anxiety written all over her face, he reached out and grabbed her by her belt loops, pulling her closer so he could rest his hands on her waist. She looked at him in his face, surprised.

"Zac?" she started, nervously.

"Let's get one thing straight," he started. When she just nodded her head slowly, he continued. "There's only one situation where I'll ever let you drive."

"Really?" she asked, excitedly. "What's that?" It took all her control to keep from bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as she felt him starting to cave.

"Well, let's see. It involves you-" he paused as he placed a kiss to her temple "and me-" he placed a kiss to her jaw line "alone."

"Really?" she asked again.

"Baby, you can start my engine anytime, anywhere. I'll let you drive me wherever you want to."

"You're such a goofball," she said grinning at him as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Well, the way I see it, being the bedroom driver is one way to keep in practice till you get one of your cars back."

"Well, you know the saying," she told him as she stood on her tiptoes to reach his ear with her lips easier. "Practice makes perfect," she whispered seductively, before running her tongue along the shell of his ear and kissing her way from his ear down his neck and back up to his jaw line and finally around to his mouth. When she brought her lips back to his and began the familiar duel over dominance with their tongues, he took that moment to lift her in his arms, allowing her to wrap her legs around his middle and lock her ankles together behind his back, and began to carry her upstairs into the bedroom. She broke the kiss and pulled her head back to look him in his eyes.

"Are we going to practice my driving?" she asked while still playing with his ear.

"That we are," he answered.

"For how long?" she asked as she took his ear lobe in her mouth again.

"For as long as it takes," he answered as he kicked the bedroom door closed behind them and dropped her gently on the bed before lowering himself down to join their lips together once again. He allowed her to drive him to the State of Bliss for the rest of the afternoon, never once complaining about her abilities to steer his car wherever she desired.


End file.
